Electrical switch

ABSTRACT

A ROCKER SWITCH COMPRISES A ROCKABLY MOUNTED ACTUATING MEMBER ADAPTED TO BE ROCKED INTO OPPOSED POSITIONS TO OPEN AND CLOSE THE SWITCH UNDER THE ACTION OF A SNAP-OVER LEAF SPRING, THE ACTUATING MEMBER BEING PIVOTED SUPPORTED BY LUGS ENGAGING APERTURES IN THE SIDEWALLS OF THE SWITCH CASING, THE LUGS HAVING PORTIONS OF THEIR PERIPHERY SHAPED TO MAKE LINE CONTACT WITH THE WALLS OF THE APERTURES.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Clarence Willans Heath. deceased.

late of Bleasby. England. by heir Iv Eveline Heath. Sycamore House Bleash England. {21] Appl. No. 852,995 [22] Filed Aug. 25, 1969 [45] Patented June 28,1971 [32] Priority Aug. 26, 1968 [33] Great Britain [31] 40706/68 [54] ELECTRICAL SWITCH 4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs.

{52] 11.8. CI 200/67 [51] lnt.Cl v ..l-l0lhl3/36 [50] Field of Search ZOO/67.7, 68, 67 (C), 67 (D) [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,848,574 8/1958 Hutt' eta! ZOO/67.7

Primary Examiner-David Smith, Jr. Attorneys- Philip E. Parker, Gorden Needleman and James R.

OConnor, John Todd and Hall and Houghton ABSTRACT: A rocker switch comprises a rockably mounted actuating member adapted to be rocked into opposed positions to open and close the switch under the action ofa snapover leaf spring, the actuating member being pivoted supported by lugs engaging apertures in the sidewalls of the switch casing, the lugs having portions of their periphery shaped to make line contact with the walls of the apertures.

PATENTEB JUN28 IHYI lElLhCTlltll CAlL FiWi'll Clill This invention relates to an electrical switch of the hind operated by roclting movement of an actuator element.

The present invention provides an electrical switch comprising a casing housing fixed and movable contacts and having a pivoted actuating member which is roclrable into opposite operative positions under the assistance of snap-over spring means to effect the opening and closing of the switch. the actuating member being pivoted supported by lugs projecting laterally from opposite sides of the said member and respectively rotatable in apertures in opposed sidewalls of the switch casing, each lug being shaped at one part of its periphery to provide line contact with the wall of the aperture, the said portion being offset with respect to a plane containing the transverse centerline of the actuating member.

One embodiment of the switch will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

lFlG. ll is a sectional view ofthe switch;

lFlG. 2 is a plan view;

H6. 3 is an end view;

lFlG. d is a side elevation of the cover or actuating element of the switch on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating the shape of the pivoting lugs for the cover and shown on a greatly enlarged scale.

As illustrated in the drawings, the switch comprises a casing l formed of insulating material, for example, synthetic plastics having a peripheral laterally extending flange 2 at its open end.

A first platelilte contact terminal 3 is provided extending through a slot in the base ll of the casing so that opposed end portions of the terminal project respectively inwardly and outwardly of the casing. The portion extending outwardly of the casing comprises a wiring tail 5 and the portion extending inwardly of the casing comprises a post b. The terminal El maltes a close fit in the slot in the base A and is retained against axial movement outwardly of the casing by a resilient tongue 7 struclt out of the material of the post portion is.

A second plateliltc terminal d extends through a further slot in the base d and includes a wiring tail tla projecting outwardly of the casing and a portion 9 overlying the inner face of the base t and supporting an electrical contact lltl.

A flexible metal strip contact is located in the casing and includes a base portion llll pivotally supported on the free end of the post is. One end of the strip'which is disposed in overlapping relation to the contact it) supports a contact 112. At the end of the base portion illl remote from the contact T2, the strip is reversely bent to form a resilient bight t3 terminating in an upwardly extending lug M adjacent to which is a recess M5.

A cover llh formed of synthetic plastics and which also forms the actuating member of the switch, is pivotally mounted in the open end of the casing by lugs it? formed integral with the cover on opposite sidewalls thereof and extending through openings in the opposite sidewalls lla, lb of the casing. A wedge-shaped element llli depends integrally from the inner face of the cover in which has an apex engaging in the recess iii of the contact strip.

As shown more particularly in FIGS. ll and b, the lugs 17 are not of the conventional circular shape but include a portion of convert arcuate shape and a portion of substantially triangular shape in cross section including opposed flat faces l9, 2t), converging to an apex fill which is offset with respect to the plane containing the transverse centerline of the cover when the latter is in its mid position as shown in FIG. d. The openings in the sidewalls lla, llb in which the lugs are received, are of circular shape so as to permit free rotation of the lugs.

in the position illustrated in lFlG. l, the cover is in one of its two extreme positions and it will be noted that the element lid has been displaced towards the right and the free end of the base portion ill of the strip contact is in an upward position so that the contact 1?. is spaced from the contact ill.

TO close the switch manual pressure is applied to the right hand side of the cover to roclt it about the lugs ll? so as to move the element llfl through a small arc. As the free end of the element lid is in constant engagement with the recess 11%, this movement pivots the contact strip about the post h in an anticloclrwise direction (as viewed in FIG. ll) causing the contact ii to engage the contact ltl. To reopen the switch the cover is melted in a reverse direction about the lugs l") to pivot the contact strip into the position illustrated in FIG. l.

At all times the resilient contact strip will exert a resilient force against the element lltll so that it serves as a snap-over spring to impart a rapid snap-over action to the cover llti during the final portions ofthe roclting movement.

in ltnown switches having a roclting cover, the lugs about which the cover pivots have been of circular shape and accordingly during the rocking movement substantially the whole peripheral surface of the lugs will malre sliding contact with the walls of the openings in which the lugs are located. According to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings, the apices ll of the lugs malte line contact with the inner walls of the openings in the sidewalls of the casing and by virtue of the apices Ell being offset with respect to the center rotational axis ofthe lugs, they act as fulcrums and an increased snapping action is imparted by the resilient strip to the cover llti during the final portions of the roclring movement so as to provide a rapid movement of the contacts into and out of engagement with one another.

The sidewalls of the casing are made sufficiently thin so as to be capable of outward flexing movement to permit the lugs l7 to be snapped into the openings in the sidewalls when the cover is being assembled with the casing.

The switch is adapted to be mounted into an aperture in a support, and for this purpose a resilient integral arm 22, 23, is provided at each end, the free end. of each arm having a shoulder 22a, 23a. The switch is mounted in the aperture in the support by entering it base first through the aperture. As the switch is moved into the aperture, the arms 22, 23, flex inwardly by engagement with adjacent edges of the aperture until the shoulders 22a, 23a, snap through the aperture. The switch is then retained in assembly by the flange 2 abutting one face of the support and the shoulders 22a, 23a abutting the opposite face.

it is claimed:

T. An electrical switch comprising a housing, fixed and movable contacts in said housing, an actuating member pivotally mounted in said housing so as to be pivotal into the two opposite operative positions under the assistance of snapover spring means to effect the opening and closing of the switch, said actuating member being pivotally supported by lugs projecting laterally from opposite sides of the said member and respectively rotatable in opposed sidewalls of said switch housing each lug including a convexly shaped por tion facing away from the actuating member and a trisngularly shaped portion facing said actuating member, the apex of the triangularly shaped portion being directed towards the underside of the actuating member for making line contact with the wall of a circular aperture which is formed in opposed sidewalls of said housing and being offset with respect to the center rotational axis of the lugs.

2. An electrical switch according to claim 1, wherein said snap-over spring means for assisting the pivotal movement of the actuating member comprises a leaf spring pivotally supported in the casing and carrying a said movable contact adapted to cooperate with a said fixed contact to effect the opening and closing of the switch when the actuating member is in one or other ofits two operative positions.

3. A electrical switch according to claim 2, wherein the leaf spring comprises a first arm pivotally mounted on a support and having a contact on its free end and a second arm connccted to the first by an arcuate shaped bight portion, the second arm extending in superposed relation to the first arm and being engaged by a projection on the actuating member, the arrangement being such that roclring movement of the said member into one of its operative positions pivots the first arm to cause the contact carried thereby to engage the fixed contact and rocking movement into the other operative position pivots the first arm in an opposite direction to move the contact on the arm away from the fixed contact 

